Tool of the Devil: Comparing Satan in Paradise Lost and the Golden Compass

The devil, in literature, is always a catalyst of change for those who encounter him. He is a force working underground, moving against what is widely considered virtuous and good, and it is contact with him that often changes the course of characters lives, and even the world. In Paradise Lost and a book based on it, The Golden Compass, the devil', in both cases, is an advocate for moving away from the control of God and the Church. Where the stories differ, is in the author's intent for these actions. In the former, John Milton uses the devil to display how vanity and pride are the sins that halt us in an opportunity to live blissfully, with and under God. Philip Pullman, in his twist on Paradise Lost, The Golden Compass, claims that…show more content…

Satan, "is clearly attempting to provoke Eve to precisely the same "sense of injur'd merit" that led to his own desire..." (107, Cullen) by flattering her and questioning why someone who is so beautiful, must live among animals. C.S. Lewis notes that through all Satan's lies and manipulation, he does "not know whether we can distinguish his conscious lies from the blindness which he has almost willingly imposed upon himself" (Lewis, 97). The same question can be posed for Lord Asriel. He uses the fact that Lyra admires him so deeply, to subtly convince her to go out North (to where he is being helped captive), free him and provide him with what he needs to create a bridge to another universe (his ultimate goal, that the church has been attempting to stop him from doing). His daughter, upon realizing what he has done, thinks, "She had struggled all this way to bring something to Lord Asriel, thinking she knew what he wanted; and it wasn't the alethimeter at all. What he wanted was a child. She had brought him Roger." (Pullman, 334). It is quite evident that Lord Asriel "believes his own propaganda" (Lewis, XIII 97) as he has become fanatical in terms of his beliefs and curiosity. Satan's struggle for freedom and independence are far from alien concepts to any person. "Milton's devil stands for the essences of human individuation and thus comes within the scope of psychology" (Werblowski, XI). These are part of the reasons

Related

Compass and Torch
The short story Compass and Torch is written by the writer Elizabeth Baines. The short story is told in present time and the narrator is a third person narrator. The theme in the shore story is the relationship between father and son – a theme that the whole short story is based on.
In the short story we are told about four different characters; the boy, the father, the mother and the stepfather. The four characters are very different from each other and the writer has managed….

Devil Slavery and Dr. Faust
In the essay from Dr. Faust’s “Community, Culture, and Conflict on an Antebellum Plantation”, she explores the balance of power between slave owners and their bondsmen, primarily, on the Hammond Plantation, Silver Bluff. She will focus on four areas of research, religion, work patterns, and payments/privileges, escape attempts/rebellion and external influences. She maintains that there was an intricate communal order among the slaves of the Silver Bluff Plantation. Using….

Throughout time, John Milton's Paradise Lost has been studied by many people and comprehended in many different fashions, developing all kinds of new interpretations of the great epic. There have been many different interpretations of this great epic. Milton's purpose in writing the epic was to explain the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the epic is similar to the Bible story in many ways, Milton's character structure differs from that of the Bible's version. All through out the epic Milton….

Devil on the Cross was written by Ngugi while he was imprisoned. He was held without trail by a government that tried to silence him. The out come was a book that was "One of the century's greatest novels" by the Tribune. In the following passages I plan to explain the meaning of four characters that are affected by capital class.
The speaker of the passage "She sat down on a box " is the gorgeous protagonist; Jacinta Wariinga. Jacinta Wariinga is a young beautiful black woman who easily stops….

A compass is a navigational tool used to guide its user in a desired direction. It has four directions; east, west, north and south. A moral compass, which I have recently learned, is also used to guide its user in a desired direction. A moral compass, when used, will provide its user moral focus as the user learns to lead in an ever more challenging and demanding world throughout their life and career. A good leader needs a moral compass that will keep the leader grounded in his most cherished….

Work in Translation
Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong
Final Draft
Name: Chung Yee, Lee
Candidate number: 003072-225
Year 11
QASMT
Teacher: Ms Jennifer Russel
Word Count: 1477
Work in Translation
Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong
In the novel, Paradise of the Blind, written by Duong Thu Huong originally in Vietnamese and translated into English by Phan Huy Duong and Nina Mcpherson, the author constructs characters Aunt Tam and Uncle Chinh as analogs of conflicting….

Urban History –
To what extent how do the urbanism theories applied on movie, “The Devil Wears Prada” in terms of creating the XXXXX
Parima
Introduction
When we hear the name of the movie, "The Devil Wears Prada", it may triggers you to imagine about the glory of the fashion industry. The story takes place in an urban city, New York where the heterogeneity and the trend of fashion is always created. The main characters in this movie, Andrea Sachs is a journalist who had just graduated….

receive what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ about the social. For example, there are critics about the politics, environmental issues etc.From time to time, my moral compass had been shaped by my parents and the social norms.
Human beings always place their own interest on the top priority while thinking of what they should do. My moral compass go wrong without recognising that it had done so because I wanted to satisfy my own wish and do something that others taught me was ‘wrong’ before. I remember….

In this book “A Paradise Built in Hell: the extraordinary communities that arise in disaster,” by Rebecca Solnit. Solnit discusses the human nature of individuals amongst disasters. Solnit writes in her first chapter “A millennial good fellowship: The San Francisco Earthquake” captures different accounts of individuals from the 1906 earthquake. There are five sections in this chapter that Solnit will discuss the traits of people in catastrophes. “The Mizpah Café” Solnit describes the kind acts of….

The women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Paradise Lost both had a serious impact over the men in their lives. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the host’s wife heavily influenced Sir Gawain’s thoughts and strategies through seduction, especially when she offered her girdle. The host’s wife was put there to test Sir Gawain’s loyalty, and he gave in. In Paradise Lost, Eve was beneficial to Adam in many ways. Eve provided Adam with companionship, gave Adam confidence, and also helped convince….